School Property Taxes

The Georgetown ISD has recently become a significant payer of the "Robin Hood" taxes that require property rich districts to send money to the state for redistribution to "poor" school districts. Here is a graph of recent GISD payments.

As can be seen, these tax payments are on an unsustainable trajectory.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation has come up with a method to ultimately eliminate the Maintenance and Operation portion of the school property tax.

If state lawmakers cap the state’s budget growth at four percent per year – and dedicate 90 percent of the surplus to lowering school property taxes – the Robin Hood tax could be phased out in 10 years. By the 11th year, the entire school property tax for maintenance and operations (M&O) could be abolished, reducing the average Texan’s total property tax bill by 40 percent or more.

The Texas State Legislature needs to be encouraged to pass legislation embodying this principle at the 2019 legislative session to permanently reduce the property tax burden on Texans.